If you’re a parent of a teen or tween, chances are that the
TV show Glee has come up in
conversation in your household. With the fourth season of the show kicking off
Thursday night, it may be coming up yet again. Though it has been losing
popularity in the last season or two, you can bet that Fox will be pulling all
the stops to regain viewers, especially middle- and high-school-aged youth.
Here is a summary of Glee from the show’s website: “Entering
its fourth season, Glee is a musical comedy about a group of ambitious and
talented kids who escape the harsh realities of high school by joining a glee
club where they find strength, acceptance and, ultimately, their voice.”
It’s not hard to see why teens would want to see this show.
Who wouldn’t want to “escape the harsh realities of high school”? Who wouldn’t
want to find “strength and acceptance”? Most teens are struggling to figure out
who they are and what they stand for, and, if they’re in public or private
school, they are undergoing this struggle amongst others who can be harsh,
cruel, and unforgiving. To have a show that empathizes with, but also adds
humor to, their plight makes getting through high school a tiny bit more
bearable.
Admittedly, the show really draws you in. Once you watch one
episode, you want to watch another. Stories are captivating, especially those stories
to which we can relate. However, stories also teach, whether they intend to or
not. In the case of Glee, a lot of teaching is going on, but it’s definitely
not wholesome or worthwhile.
The show covers every topic imaginable, including dating,
love, marriage, sex, cheating, homosexuality, developmental disabilities,
physical disabilities, bullying, success, failure, strip clubs, lying,
insecurities . . . the list goes on. As you can imagine, however, the
conclusions the show presents in most of these areas are far from biblical.
Every now and then, they do get it right. For example, the
show does a great job of showing that everyone is of value, including those who
might be handicapped or look different than everyone else. That is a biblical concept. However, these rare occasions
in which they do teach something worthwhile do not redeem the show. Rather,
because of normalizing [which we mentioned in a previous blog], sin is
presented as acceptable, sinful desires are glorified and indulged, and success
is defined by what makes a person happy, regardless of how it affects others.
If Axis had a scale to rate media, Glee would be somewhere
in the negatives. Sometimes, there are TV shows and movies worth seeing because
they open the door for deep thought and conversation. In Axis’ opinion, this is
not one of them. Instead of asking questions, it indoctrinates. Instead of
presenting truth, it offers beautifully packaged lies.
So we need to ask ourselves if we want our kids watching
shows to which they can relate but that also teach them dangerous ways to view
the world and cope with the challenges life presents. Will this build them up
or set them up for failure? Will this teach them to love the things God loves
and hate the things He hates? Or will it make it harder for them to see God’s
love and wisdom behind all of His decrees?
Photo Credits: http://bit.ly/KRsD7m
No comments:
Post a Comment